NHIA finances emergency childbirth care for 90,000 women in 18 months — Official

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) says about 90,000 women have benefited from its emergency obstetric care programme over the previous 18 months.

The Director-General of the NHIA, Kelechi Ohiri, disclosed this on Thursday on the 2026 Future of Health Conference organised by Nigeria Health Watch in Abuja.

The convention, themed “From Innovation to Impact: The Future of Health is Now”, brings collectively policymakers, well being professionals, researchers, traders and growth companions to debate easy methods to scale up efficient well being improvements and enhance healthcare supply in Nigeria.

Mr Ohiri mentioned the programme was designed to forestall women experiencing issues throughout childbirth from being denied or delayed remedy as a result of they may not afford hospital payments.

He mentioned the initiative coated accredited hospitals throughout all states, with further services being enrolled.

“About 300 hospitals across the country, fully accredited, every state, and more being added daily, where any woman that has a complication in childbirth, no questions asked. The treatment will be financed and paid for by the NHIA,” he mentioned.

He mentioned the intervention was mandatory as a result of women experiencing issues throughout childbirth might face harmful delays when hospitals request deposits and their households wrestle to boost the cash.

Mr Ohiri mentioned the intervention was developed after the federal government recognised that it couldn’t wait till each Nigerian was coated by medical health insurance earlier than addressing preventable maternal deaths.

He mentioned the programme was among the many approaches the federal government had adopted to handle particular gaps in healthcare supply whereas broader medical health insurance protection was being expanded.

“Does it mean that people are not dying? Well, no. But it means that story doesn’t have to end in human pain,” he mentioned.

He mentioned the federal government wanted to take duty for addressing limitations that stop folks from receiving well timed healthcare.

Fistula remedy

Mr Ohiri additionally mentioned roughly 6,000 women had obtained remedy for obstetric fistula by an intervention financed by the NHIA with assist from different companions.

Obstetric fistula is an irregular opening between the delivery canal and the bladder or rectum that may develop following extended or obstructed labour. It may cause persistent leakage of urine or faeces and expose affected women to stigma and social exclusion.

The situation is commonly preventable and will be handled, however entry to remedy stays a problem for women who can not afford care.

Mr Ohiri mentioned the intervention had helped women entry remedy and regain their dignity.

“Roughly 6,000 women have had their lives turned around because a disease that is mostly curable and treatable but that eroded them of any form of life and dignity has been corrected and paid for,” he mentioned.

Future of Health Conference

The Future of Health Conference is Nigeria Health Watch’s flagship annual gathering, established in 2015 to deliver collectively stakeholders to debate insurance policies, partnerships and improvements able to bettering healthcare in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: FG disburses N249.6bn health fund in three years, targets 17,600 facilities

Its earlier editions have examined common well being protection, well being expertise, healthcare funding, high quality of care, well being innovation, gender equality, and the position of the personal sector in strengthening the well being system.

According to the organisers, this 12 months’s programme contains 10 audio system, 4 innovation showcases and three aspect occasions designed to encourage collaboration amongst policymakers, innovators, traders and growth companions.

The discussions are meant to determine sensible methods to develop efficient healthcare interventions, strengthen native capability and enhance entry to high quality and inexpensive healthcare.

Nigeria Health Watch is a not-for-profit well being communications and advocacy organisation that promotes evidence-informed decision-making and coverage motion to enhance well being outcomes in Nigeria.